Recipes, menus and everything to do with my not so new kitchen

Sun-dried Tomato, Basil and Parmesan Straws

In late March/early April, we spent two glorious weeks in Arizona. We stayed with friends for this duration because we had offered to puppy-sit (Jordan) while they took a quick 7 day holiday in Ireland. We had never puppy sat before but their beautiful black lab, Jordan is quite possibly one of the laziest dogs we have ever met so she was really no problem at all. We did get her used to three walks per day, that is, until we bumped into a woman carrying a black light, walking her dog after dark. I had to ask and yes, it was to detect scorpions. That was the end of our after dark walks. Period.

I like to arrive with gifts in hand and these basil Parmesan Straws were the perfect hostess gift because I had a bunch of basil that needed using a couple of days before our departure. Plus they are pretty tasty. Jordan thought so too.

Directions:

Put all dry ingredients into a food processor, including the basil, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic, and process to mix well.

Add the butter and process to coarse granules.

While the blades are running, pour in the egg and process until a soft ball forms. If this does not happen, drizzle little bits of water until a soft ball forms.

Remove from processor and using a small amount of flour, roll out the dough to about 1/2 cm thickness. Cut into 8cm x 7 mm straws and position evenly on a cookie sheet. Brush with second egg and sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden.

Remove and allow to cool. This will store well in a cool, dark place or freeze.

Notes:

I like to use a plastic ruler to cut the straws evenly. My ruler is a dedicated food ruler that never is used with pens or pencils or markers!

This type of rolling pin gives you evenly thick dough, but as I have mentioned previously, it is a pain to unscrew the disks and I inadvertently have to wash all of the disks each time I use it.

This dough is a bit wetter than some of my other recipes because of the sun-dried tomatoes and fresh garlic.

Such wonderful creativity Eva and I imagine the sun dried tomato and basil combination bringing so much flavor to these lovely bites. I’m always amazed (and delighted) by the depth of taste that herbs deliver; when I started experimenting with compound butters a few summers back, it was such a fun way to discover different combinations of flavor and take advantage of super fragrant garden herbs. Your friends must have loved your thoughtful gift and your time with Jordan (minus the scorpions, yikes) sounded pretty great too.

Eva, I would never ever think of using fresh basil in homemade snacks! What a wonderful idea and what a wonderful present they make (contrary to flowers I keep on begging people not to bring to my house!). I admire your talent and patience for all the savoury snacks you prepare!

Why do you ask people not to bring flowers? Personally, I love flowers (although I abhor chrysanthemums and mums). It’s not a common hostess gift here. If I go to a party, I usually bring flowers in a vase so the host doesn’t need to go searching for one. They are simple and don’t cost a lot of money. Thank you for your kind words.